Hospital refuse bag or the like



NOV. 5, J. S. HOSPITAL REFUSE BAG OR THE LIKE Filed. Feb. 12, 1962 FIG.2.

K so v|4 23 4446 FIG. 3. 28

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,109,578 HQSIITAL REFUSE BAG OR THE LH(EJohn S. Davis, Irvington, N.Y., assignor to Equitable Paper Bag Co.Inc., Long Island City, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 12,1962, Ser. No. 172,551 3 Claims. (Cl. 229-62) This invention relates torefuse bags and more especially to such bags having adhesive means forattaching them to a hospital bed or cabinet, or other support, at alocation where the bag is to be used, and for subsequently sealing thebag after use, preferably with the same adhesive means that are used forattaching the bag to a support.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved refuse bag ofthe character indicated and having an adhesive tab constructed so thatthe bag can be made at lower cost than bags of the prior art designedfor a similar purpose. The construction is one that can be made onconventional bag machines with the adhesive tab put on as a patch in amanner similar to the application of patches for shopping bag handles,except that the patch extends over the line of perforation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a refuse bag with a tabhaving an adhesive coated face that can be folded back to attach the bagto a support, and that can be folded forward over the front panel of thebag to seal the bag closed after use.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear orbe pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like referencecharacters indicate corresponding parts in all the views:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the successive steps in themanufacture of the bag of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary front view showing the top and bottom of a bagmade in accordance with this invention.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View through the bag shown in FIGURE 2, thesection being taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view through the bag shown in FIGURE 2, thesection being taken along the line 44 but with the supporting tab in afolded-back position;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4, but showing the bag sealedclosed.

The bag of this invention is made from a continuous web 19 which passesthorugh a conventional bag making machine having dilferent operatingstations. Since the apparatus for making the bag form no part of thisinvention, FIGURE 1 illustrates the steps of manufacture without showingthe apparatus for performing the steps. Such apparatus is well known tothose skilled in the art, and theoretically the steps can be performedby hand. It is one of the outstanding advantages of the invention,however, that the bag can be made on a conventional machine such as isused for making shopping bags.

At the first operating station, the web is perforated along incisedlines 12 and 14. These lines are formed by cutting through the fullthickness of the web along short lines separated from one another byshort uncut portions of the web. The line .12 extends to both edges ofthe web but it has an interruption in it for a substantial distanceindicated by the dimensional brace 16. The line 14 extends across all,or most of the width of the web that is not cut by the incised line 12.

At the second operating station, an area of the web is covered withpaste or other adhesive 18.

At a third operating station, a patch 19 is applied to the web 10 overthe area of paste 18 and with a substantial part of the patch extendingbeyond the line 12. This patch 19 is applied to the web 10 in the sameway that a handle holding patch is applied to a web when making shoppingbags; but for this invention only one patch is applied for each baglength, whereas a web for making shopping bags has two transverselyspaced patches applied because the bag must have handles on its oppositesides.

At a fourth operating station, two continuous cuts 20 and 21 are madethrough the web 10. These cuts 20 and 21 may be parallel to the edges ofthe web 10, but they are preferably at a slight angle to the edges. Thecuts 20 and 21 extend from the ends of the line 14 to the ends of theline 12 at both sides of the interruption in the line 12 as indicated bythe dimension brace 16. Two substantially parallel cuts 23 are madethrough the web 19 close to the sides of the patch 19. These cuts 23 arein addition to the conventional cuts made for ordinary bag manufacture.

The web 10 is then folded and formed into a flat tube 10' with theopposite edges of the Web overlapping and secured to one another byadhesive along a longitudinal seam 28. In the preferred construction,pleats 30 (FIG- URE 3) are formed in the hat tube at the time the web isfolded. This increases the capacity of bags made in accordance with thisinvention.

The bag blanks are then separated from one another by snapping the endbag blank from the folded tube 10', the tears taking place along theincised lines 12 and i 14. Because of the longitudinal spacing of theselines 12 and 14, the bag blanks tear from the web with the back of thebag extending beyond the front at one end of the bag and with the frontextending beyond the back at the other end.

At the last operating station the extending portion of the front of thebag, constituting a flap 34 (FIGURES 2, 4 and 5) at the bottom of thebag, is folded across the bottom and up over the outside surface of aback panel 36 of the bag and is secured thereto by adhesive to completethe bottom of the bag. The invention can be made with other conventionalbottom constructions.

The front panel of the bag is indicated by the reference character 38;and the portion of the back panel 36 that extends above the front panel38 forms a flap 40. The cuts 23 extend from the top of the flap 40' tothe level of the top edge of the front panel 36 and the part of the flap40 between these cuts 23 constitutes a tab 44.

The patch 19 is on the front of the tab 44 when the tab 44 is in theplane of the remainder of the flap 40. There is adhesive 48 on the backof the patch 24 securing the patch to the tab 44'. The front of thepatch 24 is coated with adhesive 59 and in the preferred constructionthe adhesive 50 is a pressure sealing adhesive. Ordinarily the adhesive48 is a conventional paste such as is commonly used for making paperbags.

The pressure sealing adhesive 50 is originally covered by a protectinglayer 52. When the bag of this invention is to be used, the tab 44 isfolded back along a line 54 (FIGURE 4) and this fold constitutes a hingeconnecting the tab 44- to the back panel 36 below it. The layer 52 isthen peeled off the adhesive 50 and the exposed adhesive is pressed intocontact with a fixed surface 55 of a hospital bed, cabinet, or supporton which the bag is to be located for receiving refuse. The layer 52 hasan edge 56 (FIGURE 2) extending beyond the patch for gripping the layerto start peeling it off; or the patch is uncoated on a narrow portion oneach side and the layer 52 or cover sheet extends to the patch edge.

When the bag is filled, or it has been holding refuse for a reasonablelength of time, depending upon the nature and probable spoilage time ofthe contents, the tab 44 is stripped from its support and is swung aboutthe hinge line through an angle of approximately 360. This brings thetab 44 across the top edge of the front panel 36 and down across theoutside face of the front panel with the pressure sealing adhesivefacing the front panel. The tab 44 is pressed firmly into contact withthe front panel and the bag is thus sealed closed.

Although the tab 44 extends only part Way across the top of the bag, itis located at the center and the holding of the center of the bag mouthclosed is suificient to prevent refuse from coming out of the bag. 7

In the preferred construction the bag is made of kraft paper which hasbeen treated to make it fire resistant. If the intended service requiresit, the bag can be made of waterproof paper, or other material.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, but changes and modifications can be made and some featurescan be used in different combinations Without departing from theinvention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A refuse bag having front and back panels and an inwardly-extendingpleat on each side of the bag joining the front and back panels and ofone-piece construction therewith,

a tab connected to the back panel for suspending the bag fromavertically-extending support and for subsequently holding the upper endof the bag closed when the bag and its contents are to be discarded,

the tab being connected to the back panel along a horizontal hinge linespaced downwardly from the top edge of the back panel,

the tab having its side edges separated from the back panel by cutsextending downward from the top edge of the back panel and spaced inwardfrom the sides of the bag by a distance greater than the inward extentof the pleats when the bag is in folded condition,

the tab having its front face coated with pressuresealing adhesive,

said tab extending for a substantial distance beyond the top edge of thefront panel so that the tab can be bent downwardly across an area of thefront surface of the front panel to hold the bag closed,

and a removable protecting strip over the pressuresealing adhesive.

2. The refuse bag described in claim 1 characterized by the tab being ofcomposite construction and including a lower portion formed of thematerial of the back panel,

and the tab having also an upper portion that overlaps the front of thelower portion and that is permanently secured thereto by adhesive,

and the upper portion of the tube extends for a substantial distancebeyond the upper end of the lower portion.

3. The refuse bag described in claim 1, and in which the bag has thefront panel connected directly to the back panel at a fold at the bottomof the bag to form an envelope bottom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,215,989 Wolf Sept. 24, 1940 2,715,493 Vogt Aug. 16, 1955 2,774,531'Rosenthal Dec. 18, 1956 2,861,735 Faltin Nov. 25, 1958 2,971,688 AkersFeb. .14, 1961

1. A REFUSE BAG HAVING FRONT AND BACK PANELS AND AN INWARDLY-EXTENDINGPLEAT ON EACH SIDE OF THE BAG JOINING THE FRONT AND BACK PANELS AND OFONE-PIECE CONSTRUCTION THEREWITH, A TAB CONNECTED TO THE BACK PANEL FORSUSPENDING THE BAG FROM A VERTICALLY-EXTENDING SUPPORT AND FORSUBSEQUENTLY HOLDING THE UPPER END OF THE BAG CLOSED WHEN THE BAG ANDITS CONTENTS ARE TO BE DISCARDED, THE TAB BEING CONNECTED TO THE BACKPANEL ALONG A HORIZONTAL HINGE LINE SPACED DOWNWARDLY FROM THE TOP EDGEOF THE BACK PANEL, THE TAB HAVING ITS SIDE EDGES SEPARATED FROM THE BACKPANEL BY CUTS EXTENDING DOWNWARD FROM THE TOP EDGE OF THE BACK PANEL ANDSPACED INWARD FROM THE SIDES OF THE BAG BY A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THEINWARD EXTENT OF THE PLEATS WHEN THE BAG IS IN FOLDED CONDITION, THE TABHAVING ITS FRONT FACE COATED WITH PRESSURESEALING ADHESIVE, SAID TABEXTENDING FOR A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE BEYOND THE TOP EDGE OF THE FRONTPANEL SO THAT THE TAB CAN BE BENT DOWNWARDLY ACROSS AN AREA OF THE FRONTSURFACE OF THE FRONT PANEL TO HOLD THE BAG CLOSED, AND A REMOVABLEPROTECTING STRIP OVER THE PRESSURESEALING ADHESIVE.